Leave a gift in your Will
Leaving a gift to the Museum in your Will helps us to continue to tell our incredible story. You become part of that story.
How to leave a gift in your Will
A Will is a sensible way of making provision for family and loved ones, and dying without a Will in place can be an administrative nightmare for those left behind. Your Will can also be a means of recognising charities and other institutions that have been an important and enjoyable part of your life. It is a relatively simple process, although we always advise that you consult a solicitor or other legal professional as failure to take proper advice can lead to problems. If you do not already have a solicitor you can use the Law Society’s “Find a Solicitor” on-line service to locate an appropriate specialist in your area.
If you have already made a Will you can add an additional gift by means of a short Codicil, rather than having to make a new Will. Again we would advise that you consult your solicitor about this.
What type of Gift?
Your solicitor can advise on what’s right for you, taking into account your personal and family circumstances.
A Legacy is the most common type of gift in a Will and simply provides for the gift of a specific sum of money to a named person or charity.
A Specific Legacy is the gift of a particular object, property or other specified investment or asset. If you are considering leaving an object or a collection of objects (eg fossils or an historic artefact) to the Museum please discuss this with our Director, as we cannot always accept items that do not fall within our Collections Policy or which might otherwise be impracticable for us to maintain.
A Residuary Gift is a gift of a specified percentage or fraction of your estate after the settlement of debts and legacies.
The Technical Stuff!
Almost all gifts to a charity are free from Inheritance Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Income tax so the whole of your gift will pass to the Museum. In some cases, and subject to changes in the law, a gift to charity can reduce the Inheritance Tax payable on the rest of your estate.
Like most charities, unless we have established a specific Appeal Fund, we cannot always accept legacies or gifts that are expressed to be restricted for specific purposes, as this can create legal and accounting problems for us.
Your solicitor will need the following details about the Museum:
Registered Charity Name: Lyme Regis (Philpot) Museum Trust Ltd
Registered Charity Number: 1041201
Address: Bridge Street Lyme Regis DT7 3QA
It is extremely helpful if you or your solicitor let us know that you have left us a gift in your Will by emailing director@lymeregismuseum.co.uk or call us on 01297 443370. You can also contact us if you have any questions about leaving the Museum a gift in your Will.